Gold Dust
by Deathcall
Summary: Before the opening of the Dark Portal.  A small party has to find out what has stirred the troggs of Loch Modan.


**Gold Dust**

It has been some weeks since the combined might of the Alliance and Horde begun attacking the Dark Portal in Blasted Lands, slowly but surely, they weaken the Legion's forces stationed there. Whispers of victory can be heard across the free lands of Azeroth, even as far as Loch Modan. It's here that our story begins, down the green valleys and brown mountains. Under the rule of King Magni, the denizens of this region have prospered, but even though waters at The Loch remain still and tranquil, people cannot help but to worry about the fate of those brave souls who have left their households and families to fight for their well being. The War Effort has cost many lives and resources, and even with fresh volunteers, manpower is lacking everywhere. Most mines on the mountains have ceased to function, without guards to look after the workers, entire operations have been forced to relocate to safer dig sites, decreasing production.

To the south east, an old structure stands between the mountains, nature crawling up it's cracked columns and terraces, embracing it as if it was it's own child. Farstrider Lodge has seen more lively times, now almost abandoned, only a few souls frequent it. A resting place for scouts and patrols that, having been spread thin, walk endless hours across the shores and mountains. Even though Magni rules these lands, dwarves don't control them entirely, and wildlife is only one of their concerns when it comes to keeping peace and order. Indeed, animals have spread their territories, having noticed the lack of opposition by the already overloaded guards, as have the Ogres, who have grown bolder, understanding their old neighbors would rather retreat than fight. Efforts are made, however, not to let any of these forces feel secure, still, attacks and raids have begun occuring and it's only matter of time until the King is forced to either send reinforcements or forfeit most of the eastern lands.

On the terrace overlooking the lake, a lively discussion is being held. Two female Night Elves sit on the railing next to each other while holding wooden mugs. "It couldn't be helped, Tadis!", the other elf closes her eyes and lets out a long sigh, speaking with a peaceful tone. "It's of no matter now Nadia. The dwarves said they were leaving, Ironband is going to be abandoned. The Explorer's Guild is being reassigned to guard mining sites. If things continue like this..." Nadia takes a sip from her mug and is going to speak again when a dwarf walks through the entrance, his steps echoing on the wooden floor. He joins the two elven women and with as much courtesy as a dwarf can show, bows. "Greetings, strangers." Nadia smiles at the newcomer. "Well master dwarf, seeing how it's you who comes into our lodge, I think you are the stranger." The dwarf leans his head, approving Nadia's words. "Forgive my manners, I am but a simple miner and courtesy does not come easy to me. Let me introduce myself, Tazudin Silverpick." He takes another bow. Tadis nods to him. "Your manners aren't as lacking as you declare master dwarf. This is my companion - she extends her hand to the other woman with an open palm - Nadia, hunter of Elune, and I'm Tadis. We both hail from Teldrassil and have come to Loch Modan to help secure the area. - She holds her head down and speaks sadly. - Something I'm afraid we haven't been able to accomplish so far." Sadness spreads across her face. "Please - replied the dwarf - Your efforts have been more than helpful. I've been sent here because of one of your reports actually." Tadis looks up and gently smiles at him. "Your kindness is heartwarming master Silverpick." The dwarf blushes. "Madam, your words have accomplished that which none of the icy plains of Dun Morogh have before. - Nadia rolls her eyes, noticing this, the dwarf clears his throat. - We received a report some days ago about Trogg activity in this side of the lake." The Huntress nods at him. "Yes, it seems they have been pushing east from Stonesplinter Valley. We were talking about this when you joined us. The dig site north of here was attacked not long ago and we were forced to use lethal force to repel them. Tadis was lamenting that course of events." Her companion nods. "It's most unfortunate that we were forced to kill those creatures. Most of them looked famished and tired. Still they charged against the camp." Tazudin listens to both ladies and thinks for a bit before talking again. "Our western guards reported similar behavior. We sent a scouting party to the Trogg grounds in the Valley, they found no sign of them. We believe it's possible that something has routed their tribe away from the mountains." Nadia thinks for a bit and shakes her head. "I have been patrolling around there for the past weeks and haven't spotted anything out of the ordinary besides a rather big bear... but not big enough to rout an entire tribe of troggs." The dwarf smiles shortly. "Ah, you talk about one of Ol' Sooty's cubs, it couldn't be them. We are talking about something really fierce, enough to drive all the Troggs out of the mountains." Nadia shakes her head again. "I'm telling you, I have seen no signs of such a beast." She looks at Tadis. "It's true master Silverpick, I haven't seen any creature capable of doing what we speak of either." The dwarf nods. He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "Thank you for your information ladies. I have, now, other things to tell you about. - He hesitates a second. - We have been ordered to pull out from the eastern shore of The Loch, all personnel will be relocated to Thelsamar. - He shakes his head in disappointment. - I am sorry. We are just too short of men. - He sighs again. - I've brought a bodyguard with me to escort you two back to Thelsamar. We'll depart as soon as you are ready." Tadis gets up from the railing. "Again, your kindness is unmatched master Silverpick. Come on Nadia, let's not make them wait any longer than necessary." Her companion follows and they soon gather their belongings and meet the dwarf outside. Waiting with him, there's a muscular human wearing heavy armor and wielding a great sword. "My bodyguard - says Tazudin - Espigo." The human looks at the two elven women and removes his helmet, showing a face that, although young, has been punished by battle several times. "Master Tazudin, you never warned me we would keep such graceful company. - He chuckles. - I'd be more than glad to keep you from harm, young maidens." He bows, but as he does, a growl is heard from behind him. He turns around and sees an orange stripped tiger walk past, it never takes it's eyes off him until it joins the huntress. "Seems Therion doesn't approve of your intentions Mister Espigo. - Nadia leans down to caress the tiger's head. - He's a great judge of character." The human warrior tilts his head. "I assure you my intentions are strictly honorable!" He chuckles again and puts his helmet back on. The dwarf picks up his gear and looks at the bodyguard. "Lady Nadia and Tadis will join us for our trip back, Espigo. Please try and show as much courtesy as you can." The warrior nods with a sly grin and they all set out.

Their trip is uneventful. Following the shore of The Loch they only encounter wandering critters and a small group of troggs that leaves them alone as soon as Nadia tightens the string of her bow. Tadis and Tazudin keep talking all along the way, but besides Espigo's best efforts, he can't make her companion engage in any sort of conversation and has to content himself with jumping into Tadis' and Taduzin's. Having left in the morning, and travelled all day, a few hours after nightfall they spot a torch from one of the city guards. It doesn't take them much longer to arrive at the city, there, Tazudin and Espigo leave them at the Stoutlager Inn to spend the night. The Hearthstoves are more than glad to have clients and grant them great hospitality, perhaps a bit too great for Tadis who, just to show good manners, didn't refuse some of the house's special brew. Amused by her companion, Nadia enjoyed her dinner talking to the stable master, who showed a good amount of interest in Therion. For sure, the tiger presented a fierce but graceful appearance. His bright orange fur would be the dream of any leather worker, finelly stripped with thin black lines that curved over the animal's shoulders and waist. It's claws, sharp and long, did not shame against any sword in town and it's fangs, when it showed them, would give the strongest feeling it's best to be on the good side of this cat. Although the way it's strips curved around his eyes make it seem it's always angry, it seemed to like whoever Nadia liked, and it wasn't long before the young Lina Hearthstove felt comfortable petting it's head. After dinner, and having left Therion in Lina's care, both elves headed to their room and were glad to find out the beds have been switched out to match their height. Letting their bodies rest on the mattresses, they both fell asleep quickly.

A horn sounded at dawn, but without a real need to be up, and still a bit tired from the long walk, both ladies decided to stay in bed a bit longer. The streets were already loud when someone knocked at their door. Madam Vidra had brought a message from Master Tazudin, who asked for their presence in the Explorer's Guild house, after they were done eating breakfast, of course. The day was warm and so they decided to eat outside, Therion came to Nadia's side as soon as she came out the Inn, happy to see it's master and knowing it was time to eat. After finishing their meal, they both thanked the Hearthstoves for their hospitality and walked down the street. A few feet before the end of town, they arrived to an old building that had the guild's banner on front, together with several wanted boards. On the porch, someone who looked like Tazudin, but had his beard done different, was waiting. "Ah! Ye' must be them Elven women Tazudin kept talking over dinner! Lady Tadis and Nadia, strike me with Moradin's Hammer, he be right to talk as much as he did. Both of you are like a vein of mithril in a copper mine!" Nadia tilts her head not knowing for sure what the dwarf meant, while Therion chooses a spot under a tree's shadow to lay down. "You look like master Tazudin, but I'm afraid I don't know your name sir." The dwarf takes a few steps up the stairs leading to the porch, as much as to be at the same height as her. "Well of course I bloody look like him, he's my twin brother! - He laughs. - Had you been a dwarf, I'd have thought you were questioning my mother's honor! - He laughs again. - I'm Rokelar Silverpick, master speleologist of my clan!" Both elven women look at each other. "I'm sorry, we don't know that word in common. - Said Tadis, as Nadia was trying to repeat it herself but couldn't manage to pronounce it right. - Would you mind explaining what it is?" The dwarf seems offended for a second but then he sighs and laughs yet again. "Well of course you don't know that word. You are elves! I hardly doubt you even have a similar word in Darnassian, should be happy the humans have one. - He chuckles. - To put it simple, I know caves, everything there's to know about exploring and surviving in them." Nadia tilts her head. "So you are a caveman?" Tadis nudges her on the ribs, hard enough to make her bend over a bit. "You girls! - Rokelar laughs loudly - That was excellent, wish I came up with that when my father explained it to me! - He laughs a bit more. - Well ladies, my brothers are waiting inside. We should go down and meet them. Follow me!"

After following Rokelar up and down the stairs into the guild house, they arrived to a big hall with a table and maps on it. In the room, there were two other dwarves, one was Tazudin, and the other someone who also looked like him. Espigos was sitting on a chair against a wall, dozing off, a female gnome was standing by a fire, looking impatient, and another female, a human this time, was sitting on the table looking at the maps with a puzzled look on her face. After reaching the table, the unknown dwarf offers them a seat. "Welcome ladies. Master Hornhelm was kind enough to offer us their guild house to have our meeting today, he's very greateful for the help you gave to the Ironband fellas, as I am. - He bows his head. - Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Koros Silverpick. You already met my brothers. - He looks at Tazudin. - My youngest brother, he's an expert prospector. - He looks at Rokelar. - My middle brother, the man you want to have at your side when going in any unknown cave. I myself am but a simple Foreman, with a good eye for business and opportunity. - He bows again. "Brother, don't be so humble. - Adds Tazudin. - He not only is the oldest among the three of us, he's also the strongest in combat. - Tadis introduces herself and Nadia. "It's my pleasure to meet you, ladies. - He looks at the other people in the room. - Allow me to introduce the others. - He looks at Espigo. - Espigo of Stormwind you already know, this is Madam Arielle - he looks at the female human - and that over the fire is madam Lirana. - He looks over the gnome and then clears his throat. - We are missing one more bodyguard, but I believe we can start explaining why we brought you here today. Rokelar, if you will please." His brother nods and moves the map to the center of the table, it shows the entire area of Loch Modan, there are some markings and dates added to certain locations surrounding Stonesplinter Valley. "As you said in your report, the Troggs living in this area - he marks the valley. - have been behaving strangely lately. Also, as you've been informed, our scouting party found their grounds empty. What you don't know is that these Troggs aren't trying to expand, and they most certainly haven't banished. They just simply moved out. As my youngest brother Tazudin thought, something has scared these creatures away, so they divided into smaller groups and fled the mountains into every possible direction. Sightings of Trogg groups have been found here, here, and here - he marks three spots in the map - across the road to Valley of Kings and the path to the Badlands. Also, bigger groups have been spotted moving north of your Lodge, here, and here. - He marks two more spots in the map. - We've heard the Mo'grosh ogres are holding these groups back from invading their newly acquired territory. In any case, it has given a bit of time to breath to the Stonewrought Dam guards who had been under nearly constant attack by ogres for days. - He takes a deep breath and looks at Nadia. - Tazudin told me you saw no sign of any beast big or fierce enough to cause these Troggs to flee their homeland? - She shakes her head. - They have been pouring into our patrols at the roads, and are stuck in a fierce fight with the ogres right across Thelsamar on the other side of the lake. There MUST be something there that scared these beasts away!" Nadia shrugs. "I tell you, unless it's some sort of magical creature I don't know off, I haven't seen anything that could point to what you suggest. There's just no way a creature that dangerous would go unnoticed." Tadis nods to her. "I haven't felt anything either. I've spoken with the trees, the wind and the birds. This exodus by the Troggs doesn't seem to have any explanation." Rokelar looks at her and snorts. "No mean to offend ma'am, but I've lived in this lands for decades, and those Troggs have never done anything like this. Moving out of their lands for no reason at all? It's just too crazy. Now I don't know what them birds think, but it all smells like my uncle's stew! Fishy and most likely deadly unless measures are taken!" He chuckles. "We don't have an uncle Rokelar..." Says Tazudin. "Well, can't make a joke like that unless we mention someone in the family, and like hell I'm gonna mention pops, he might be hearing, and I be still pretty attached to my head!" Tazudin groans at his brother's retort. "Enough boys - says Koros - Ladies... lets get to our main topic for today."

"In fact, this whole business with the Troggs has done more good than bad. Yes, we have lost control of mining sites east of the pass to the Badlands, but we would have lost that eventually anyway, and at least they are holding back the Ogres from pushing hard into our Dam or our southern patrols." Koros sits back down and looks at his youngest brother. "As Koros said, the whole Trogg business has been more fortunate than people may think. For years we have filtered the water coming down from the streams of Stonesplinter Valley and found gold dust in it. Of course, it wasn't much, a few grams from time to time, but now with the Troggs gone, the amount of gold in the water has increased considerably." Tadis interrupts. "I do remember seeing some sick animals on my patrols. Nothing seemed wrong with them but they still looked pretty ill. Most of them I found near those streams." Tazudin nods at her. "It's very likely that those animals were suffering of water poisoning. You see, when ingested in small quantities, gold is nearly harmless. But if it's consumed regularly, it'll cause severe illness and even death. The effect on animals would be similar I suppose, and more intense depending on the size." Nadia tilts her head at Tazudin. "So what are you saying? That the Troggs are fleeing the mountains because their water got poisoned?" Tazudin gets up and marks the mountains at the map. "It's possible, look at this - he points at the head of the streams. - All these streams start here, on this net of caves, and go down the mountains, pouring into the lake. The Troggs never had to go to the lake to get water, they always got it from these streams, now, for some reason, the ammount of gold dust in the water has increased, making all these streams, all the way down to the lake, unusable, even the area around where the streams end must be dangerous to drink from too." Tadis gets up. "Of course! That would explain why those Troggs that attacked the Ironband's Excavation looked so ill." Nadia shakes her head. "Still doesn't explain why all this gold dust started pouring on the streams so suddenly." Someone else walks in the room. "No it doesn't my dear. And that's why we all have been summoned here." A night elf man walks inside the room, elegant yet a bit sinister. His voice is deep and if it hadn't been said in such a peaceful tone it would cause unease on whoever heard it. "Ardid... - Said Nadia. - So you are the missing bodyguard..." Arielle, the human female, gets up hugs the man, he hugs her back and pats her on the head, looking at her eyes shortly after letting her go. Espigo looks at them from the corner of his eyes and seems annoyed for a moment. "You two... know each other? - Asks Tazudin - I'm sure we could arrange for you to have a room at the Stoutlager Inn too." Nadia is about to speak but the man speaks over her. "That won't be necessary master Silverpick. I'm afraid madam Nadia doesn't enjoy my presence as much as she used to. It'd be better if we just got this over with as soon as possible." Tazudin looks at Nadia, then at Tadis, who shakes her head slowly at him. He clears his throat and after looking how Nadia burns Ardid with her eyes, continues. "We have a theory about what could be poisoning the water." He sits down and Rokelar stands up. "For years we've suspected there to be huge amounts of gold in them mountains, but with the heavy Trogg presence there, it has always been easier to just mine other sites instead of risking men and equipment there. Gold dust is thrown into the water when the streams inside the caves scrape against veins on the walls so this increase can only mean that those streams have finally eroded their way into a huge deposit!" Tazudin takes the lead. "A mining site in the Stonesplinter Mountains would be perfect, it's close to our lands and the valley is easily defendable. We plan on sending a party to investigate. My two brothers and I, together with some helpers, the bodyguards and of course, you two." The foreman gets up and walks around the table a bit. "We are undergoing a huge shortage in provisions, the war effort is dilapidating us, this discovery could refill our coffers in just weeks. If we succeed, Ironforge's forces will not lack supplies for at least a couple years. Our estimates are roughly accurate since nobody has truly explored those caves throughfully. I've already given the order to assemble a small group with equipment and provisions. We leave tomorrow. I want Tadis and you to come, Nadia, you both know the area well and your skills have been proved time and again." The girls look at each other and nod to Koros. "We'll help your expedition Master Silverpick, count with us." Said Tadis. "It might be dangerous though, who knows, we might not all make it back in one piece...- She looks at Ardid with a hurtful look. - or at all." With that she looks away and pretends to ignore his existence. Tazudin looks at both for a moment and sighs. "We leave one hour after dawn tomorrow, make any preparations you need, be sure to get plenty of supplies, we might be there for days." With that, he finished the meeting.

That night at the Inn Nadia didn't feel like eating inside, aching for the fresh air of the forest, she walked out of town with Therion and sat by a tree, with it's head on her lap, she slowly ate some rations she had taken with her. Looking at the stars she tried to remember how the sky looked back in Teldrasil, everything seemed so alien to her. The dwarves with their beards and stone houses, their mines and their weapons. Still, Therion and Her had gotten used to all of that, she would have never guessed that the first time she'd really feel home sick in her travels would be because of something, or someone, precisely from there. "Reminiscing, darling?" Therion jumps up and looks around but doesn't seem to be able to see anyone, Nadia doesn't seem so surprised though. "You may fool Therion, Ardid, but not me. Come out. Be a man, a good one, if only for a couple minutes." She looks directly above into a shadow in the tree cup. "Oh, I've been found. And not a grain of surprise in your expression, how disappointing." He speaks with a graceful tone, but every word seems to be making fun of her somehow. "You wouldn't be so hard to bare if you didn't talk as much." He chuckles. "But darl-" Nadia looks at him. "Don't call me names." He shrugs. "Wrong eye?." He looks at her. "Shut up." He smirks at her and jumps down the tree branch right on her side. Therion doesn't seem disturbed by his presence and lays back down next to Nadia, he puts his hand on it's head and pets it. "Why do you think he still likes me?" He runs his hand through the cat's back. "Because, to him, you are just a good petter." He tilts his head. "Didn't we use to pet each other like this too?" She sighs and looks away. "What do you want Ardid? What do you expect from me? You want me to fall into your arms as if nothing had happened? You truly think you'll swoop me off my feet with just gentle words?" He looks away. "It has worked before..." She rises his hand as if to slap him but stops before she even swings. "I should slap myself for that. - She puts her hand down. - Why don't you go back to your silly human and leave me be?" He looks at her and smiles. "Jealous? - She looks at him with burning eyes again. - She sees a brother in me, nothing more." Nadia sighs and starts petting Therion with him. "And what do you see in her?" He gets closer, and although she tries to avoid eye contact, manages to look her right in the eye. "You..." She chuckles. "That's the best you could think off?" He seems offended and backs away. "Maybe just half of you." He gets up and puts his hands behind his head. "Well at least I won't have regrets if something happens to us tomorrow." She gets up too, Therion brushing it's back against her hand trying to get more petting. "Nothing will happen to "us", not tomorrow, not ever." She walks away with it following her closely.

Next morning, after a good breakfast and arranging all the necessary items: The entire party was standing outside the Explorer's Guild house. The Dwarves had come dressed in armor and with weapons, letting a group of four helpers carry their equipment, mostly commoners with a like for adventure. The bodyguard group was also present, Ardid was leading, wearing his armor proudly, a longbow on his back, his animal companion was Tornbeak, a rather large eagle which honored it's name. It's wings, wide as three or four men when open, would make enough shade for someone to sleep under during midday. It's feathers, of a lustrous light brown, adorned everything but it's head, where they were black. The beak was torn as if it had been broken and healed several times, even while being so damaged, it conserved a bright color that made it look distinguished. Too large to rest on Ardid himself, it sat atop of the building and scouted in every direction, always waiting for an order of it's master. Espigo was there, yawning repeatedly and complaining about the hour, wearing a different set of armor this time, a sword and a shield as weapons. Arielle, the young priestess, was standing right next to Ardid, and she would often look at him and smile to herself. She was wearing the common vestments of a priestess, she wielded a long white staff which she used to help her walk. Lirana was standing a bit away from the group giving her back to everyone, if you didn't know she was supposed to be there, she could have been mistaken for a shadow. Wielding two daggers, she had a bitter expression, she only spoke once, to Espigo, and her words were "Don't talk so much." Tadis, on her side, was wearing her battle armor, but she stepped out of the group for a while to entertain some children with her shapeshifting abilities. Nadia was also wearing all her armor, her bow on the back. She was standing as far away from Ardid as she could and would avoid even looking at him. Therion sat close by below a shadow, waiting also for it's master's command. "Alright group, everything seems ready, let's depart. Stick close, lady Nadia, you have the point." And so, she moved to the front, and started leading the group to the mountains.

Again, the trip was uneventful. Most of the Troggs in the mountains had already left, only a few remained and they were too weak to even attempt to harm anyone. While walking through their grounds, the party could inspect their housings, where they found several dead. Tazudin inspected them and confirmed the dwarves theory. It seems all those bodies left behind had been killed by the ingestion of gold, he also checked on the streams as they were heading up, in some parts you could see the gold dust at bare sight going down with the current. "Most likely these troggs were left behind because the others thought they had some sort of disease, and they didn't want to catch it themselves", said Rokelar, as he kept inspecting burrow after burrow. After several hours of walking uphill, the party finally reached the entrance to the cavern network they were looking for. The cave's entrance wasn't too wide, but a strong wind current came out, fungus spores floated inside, moving in circles and sideways until they were pushed outside by the current of air. The party sat down to rest a few yards away from the entrance so as to avoid the dangerous spores which kept being exhaled out like bad breath from the caves. "Once we go into the cave network, I'll start making up a map in my mind, so don't worry about getting lost. You fellas just do your job and good old Rokelar will keep you safe and bring you back home when done." The proud dwarf hit his chest with a keg of beer and toasted to everyone's health. "We'll have to go at least a hundred feet inside as to avoid those spore clouds, cave fungus can be toxic so we shouldn't linger close to them much if at all." Replied Koros. Finally, Tazudin got up and spoke. "My friends, if we come back successfully from this expedition, we may save Ironforge, and the Alliance, many headaches. Thank you, my comrades, for being with us today." His middle brother gets up with his keg in hand. "Yes, yes, very emotive my lil' brother, but nothing says "Thank you" as good as mug of beer, so, I think we should all just make things simple and drink down until we can't say "You are welcomed" anymore!" He lets out a loud laugh that echoes across the mountains and starts pouring everyone drinks.

Koros, however, didn't let them drink much. He was by far the most serious one in the group. His father had given him this task directly and he knew better than disappointing him. The only one matching his serious face was Lirana, who's indifference hadn't gone unnoticed by the other party members. "Don't mind her, she's always like that." Said Ardid to Tadis when he caught her looking at the gnome with a puzzled look. "She's just one bitter little person." He smiles at her but the elven woman still looks worried. Espigo speaks to her as he puts his gear back on. "That little maiden over there, - he points at the gnome with his nose - she only smiles while doing the job. I'd stay away if I were you. She's just angry she hasn't gotten the chance to kill anything yet." Lirana picks up her gear too and starts walking towards the cave. "Espigo's right... she's... just... be careful." Added Arielle as she passed by the elf. While the rest was getting ready to move, Nadia had already walked to the entrance and was sitting on a rock just outside the air current. "Why so lonely? Ardid approaches slowly and stops next to her. "Why so nosy?" She replies, he just chuckles at her and calls down Tornbeak. "I'm sorry my friend, but you won't be able to fly inside those tunnels. Stay outside for now, ok?" His companion lets out a sharp shriek and flies over to a high rock atop of the cavern's entrance, sitting there and scanning the horizon constantly. By now the rest of the party has caught up with them, Tadis gets between the other two elves and looks at her companion. "What?" Asked Nadia in an annoyed manner. "Don't worry, I won't give you any trouble." Said Ardid as he smiled at her. "Very well, let's head inside, stick close to each other, my brother will take point from now on lady Nadia, if you don't mind." Said Koros, and everyone followed behind Rokelar, going through the spore storm into the depths of the cave network.

It took them several minutes to navigate through the first yards of the tunnels. The air was so thick with spores that the lights out of their lanterns could hardly pierce through, rendering them little more than useless. With their hands on a wall, they followed Rokelar, who would stop from time to time and direct the group one direction or the other as best as he could. After a while, however, the air current eased up and the spores became less of a nuisance as they only elevated a few inches form the floor. "Well in cases like this, most of the times we construct vents and then remove the fungus to make a better environment for the workers." Said their guide, making his way through some overgrown fungal caps. With the wind's howling gone, talking was easier and the group progressed faster. "Look at this rock formations - Tazudin holds the lamp to the walls. - This is very promising, can't wait to get further down." The point man stopped and signaled the group to do the same. "I can hear water, below us. Can you see any way down, Nadia?" She was right behind him, and using her kin's ability to see in the dark, scouted down the tunnel. "There seems to be ramp further down that path to our right, but I can't tell if it leads anywhere." The dwarf holds his lantern on the direction she spoke up and opens it, the flame flickers noticeably. "Well, it sure leads somewhere." The group followed down that path and soon came to a different kind of caves. Fungi didn't grow on it's walls and the ceiling was humid and dripped water here and there. After walking up and down tunnels for nearly another hour they finally spotted a small stream that ran along the floor. "There's the best guide we could wish for." Said Rokelar as he picked up the pace, following the stream. Soon they found more streams that joined together and made the water's current stronger. "Are you sure we are going the right way? - Said Nadia when they stopped for some minutes to rest, she took her hand into the water and looked at it. - There doesn't seem to be any gold dust on this thing." Rokelar snorts and lets out a laugh that echoes across the tunnels. His brother talks instead of him. "Forgive him lady Nadia, - said Tazudin - he doesn't mean any disrespect, you have to understand that this is our lives. Hence he finds it amusing you'd question his knowledge on the matter. - She nods at him. - We entered this mountain from one of the top caves, and have been working our way down scouting for veins along the way, but the real prize in this expedition, is not on the mountain itself, but under it. The streams that come from the subterranean rivers are the ones carrying the gold. This one might join with them, and that's why we are following it. They'll lead us to the biggest veins." Nadia seems puzzled about this. "Why did we enter through the top then?". Koros passes past them and orders everyone to keep moving, as the huntress joins back with the point man, he says. "You see, most of the streams that run down to The Loch come from waterfalls and such, there's no way we can follow those without excavating and we just don't have time for that." Nadia nods at him and is about to say something when she suddenly stops moving, the formation stopping with her. "Tadis? Do you hear that?" Her companion nods and comes next to her. "There's a waterfall ahead - says Ardid. - No... not just one. Many." The group hurries, still following the water current that soon widens until it covers the entire floor of the tunnel, right when everyone else can hear the sound the elves spoke of, a faint light pierces through the dark. Putting their lanterns aside, the party moves deeper down the tunnel, the stream's current getting stronger as the sound gets clearer and the light bright enough to see the walls of the tunnel clearly. Suddenly, Rokelar stops in his tracks. "By Moradin's Hammer..."

In front of him, the stream turns into a waterfall that drops down on to a huge dome of rock. It's roof has cracked open, leaving huge openings that allow the last rays of sunlight from the afternoon sneak through. All along the walls, thick gold veins can be seen, starting at the top of the dome and circling down all the way to a small lake below them. On the center of the lake, a hot water spring fills the floor of the dome with a dense mist that shines yellow wherever the sunlight touches it. Everyone stands on the edge of the waterfall, staring at the beautiful sight, perplexed. Here and there, other waterfalls fall into the lake, making the mist swirl and move around. Suddenly, on the northern edge of the dome, a crumbling noise is heard and then the sound of water draining. "There! - Rokelar points at the place where the water is draining. - That must be it! Yes! It explains everything!" He pats his little brother. "I'm afraid you lost me master Rokelar." Replies Tadis, as she stares at him surprised by his reaction. "Lets get down there first and set up camp somewhere dry, it'll be dusk soon and we don't want to climb down this waterfall with lanterns in our hands."

The party nailed ropes to the cave's wall and one by one went down. All but Lirana, who mysteriously appeared below without anyone knowing how she managed to. Once all their gear was brought down and secured in the driest place they could find, the used some wood they had brought to start a fire and dry themselves, since most of them were soaked from the decent into the dome. The hot air coming out from the campfire was welcomed by everyone, since the suffocating humidity in there gave the false feeling of being underwater. The dwarves fixed dinner and everyone sat on the best spots they could find to enjoy it, after all, it had been a long day and even Therion, who just jumped down to the lake when everyone went down the rope and was still drying up, was yawning sleepily. Nadia looks at him with a smile on her face and tickles it's head lovingly. "Make sure he doesn't drink from the water in the cave lady Nadia, it could make him ill." Says Tazudin, offering her a canteen. "Thank you - she takes it and pours a bit on her hand, letting Therion lick it, the cat's rough tongue tickling her palm, after that she grabs a dish and pours some more water on it, letting it drink at ease. - His fur is covered in gold dust." She tries to brush it off with her hand as she speaks. "I think it looks rather cute! - adds Tadis while kneeling down to caress the cat's ear. - He'll shine in the dark!" Ardid chuckles. "Such a lively spirit you are, lady Tadis. What I wouldn't give to be the cause of your smiles." She looks at him on the corner of her eyes. "It's a shame such a sweet tongue comes along with that wretched heart of yours, Ardid." He looks at Nadia. "I see you have been telling her about me..." Espigo throws a little pebble at his back. "Your reputation precedes you my friend." Ardid gets up and sits next to him with a smile. "Espigo, you and I know... - he changes his expression and looks away. - We aren't friends..." The warrior shrugs. "Forgive me for not wearing a dress, my fair leader." Nadia looks at him with a grin. "Well, what do you know, you might be okay after all." Rokelar laughs his heart out at the situation while Tazudin clears his throat. Tadis giggles and turns to the later. "You never did explain what you were talking about earlier." Tazudin nods. "Yes, forgive me madam. - He gets up. - As you see, this cavern is extremely damp. That's because this was filled with water until not long ago. - He points at the top the dome, where the last sun rays of the day hit. - There, if you look carefully, you can see marks that the water left." Everyone looks up, indeed, the top of the dome has a shinning circle all around it, a mix of salt from the rocks and gold dust the water left on it when it filled the entire cavern. "As you can see, this entire chamber was flooded. So why is it empty now?" He turns to his brother, who gets up and walks to the edge of the rock they are all sitting. "There, at the northern part of the lake, you see how the current changes? Even the mist is being sucked in. - He thinks for a moment. - Most likely the weight of the water made the lower bed of this lake here crumble. Throwing an entire new influx of water into the streams down the mountain. Since water here had been stagnant for a long time, it was loaded with gold dust, which drifted away onto the new currents of water when the dome drained." He sits down. "We've been lucky to notice this, a few more days and the unusual influx of gold dust would have stopped and we might have never come to this place." Koror nods at him. "Which puts us in a problem. If the water becomes potable again, there's a high chance the Trogg tribes will return to the mountains. And all of this - He looks around. - will have to wait until the problems at Blasted Lands are over." He sighs and kicks a pebble to the water. "In any case, it's late. We must rest, tomorrow we'll examine the cave and the quality of the minerals. Hopefully we'll be leaving before nightfall."

Dusk was well entered when everyone finally finished making arrangements to sleep. Finding a comfortable spot proved challenging, as that task alone could have tired someone enough to want a nap. It certainly didn't make it easier on them that the dwarves in the party snored almost at unison, sometimes so hard as to make the entire dome tremble with the echo. Nadia and Tadis had picked a spot across the campfire where a faint current of air had dried the rock almost completely, still, the first rolled her eyes in annoyance at the dwarves and wished her hearing wasn't so good. The bodyguard party scattered all around the cave, even Arielle, at Ardid's command, was left alone on a ledge over the lake. It was a good spot though, the moonlight that crept in from the openings in the ceiling lit the entire place and gave everything a silverish glow. Espigo tried convincing the elven women to let him share their place, but was quickly rejected. He then walked up to Arielle but before he could say anything she talked to him. "You want to sleep here? - she looks at him who is at first taken back a bit but then grins at her. - I know your type Espigo, you can stay with me if you want." She smiles at him. He sighs in disappointment. "It's no longer fun when girls figure me out." She giggles. "Rather sleep with the dwarves?" He shakes his head with a smile, but then looks at Ardid across the lake and frowns. She notices this and pats the pelt she's sitting on, beckoning him to join her. "He may be handsome and charming but Tandis is right in what she said." He sits with her and puts his gear aside. "Why did you come then? - He leans back and looks to the cracks in the roof. - Frankly this hasn't been much of an exciting adventure, and the pay isn't that good either." She brushes her hair back and leans back with him. "Ardid of course..." He's taken back again. "But you just said-" She interrupts him. "I feel for Nadia, I know what she went through. But I'm afraid I don't have her strength of will. - She lays back on the pelt. - I think it's easier to let go when you have something else to hang on to. - She looks at him, his face is half lit by moonlight and she can see him smile. - Have you figured me out by now?" He chuckles and lays next to her.

The voices finally quiet down in the dome, besides the snoring coming from the dwarves side, only the waterfalls break the natural silence. However, something stirs in the mist, swirls here and there show that not everyone is sleeping yet. Someone steps into the water near the fountain, and we can see Lirana emerge from the mist. "It's here, inside the spring." Ardid appears from the other side of the mist. "Are you sure? - the gnome nods. - Can you get it out?" She takes out one of her daggers and sticks it inside a crevice in the stone. "Not without waking the others. - She removes the dagger. - Don't forget what M said Ardid, nobody must know, it's the main condition of our contract." He looks away from her. "We can come back after and retrieve it ourselves." The gnome looks at him, annoyed. "Don't be stupid Ardid. You know we'll lose our contact if we linger here too long. We must act immediately, without the dwarves it might take us some time to leave the caves. Do it." He looks down for a moment and then, with a serious face, fades into the mist again. The gnome seems pestered by his lack of decision and puts her daggers back on their scabbards.

The cave remains in silence for some minutes as if nothing had happened. Suddenly a groan can be heard from the dwarves side, one of the helpers gets up from his bed and walks towards a corner behind a rock. A few moments later he comes back, but when he's climbing back on the ledge they were, he hears a sound coming from behind him, he immediately turns but there's nothing there, just the mist. He shrugs and walks back to his bed trying not to step on the other helpers that were all sleeping in the same corner. He stretches and yawns... when he finally lays back down a snap is heard and the entire corner where he and his partners were sleeping catches on fire, the explosion shakes the dome making some rocks fall on them. One of the helpers is immediately crushed as a big boulder hits him right on, while the others scream in pain as they roll on the floor, their entire bodies on flames. The entire group wakes up. "Fire! Fire! - Screams Koros as he jumps form his bed. - toss them to the lake!" Rokelar stands up immediately. "Damn it Tazudin! I told you to make sure the campfire wa-" His throat is slit by two daggers from behind, the cut is so deep that when the body hits the ground, the shock makes the rest of the skin tear and the head comes off completely. His younger brother steps back in fear but trips over the ledge and falls, following him, one of the helpers drops into the water and although the flames are extinguished, it's too late for him. "What the hell is going on here! - Koros grabs his weapon and tries to help his brother, since the other two helpers already lie on the floor, dead but still burning. Everyone was on guard by now, Nadia was protecting Tadis with her body, making her put her back to the wall and tightening an arrow on her bow as Therion was crawling next to her scanning the mist. Suddenly he spots a swirl on it and jumps inside, instantly disappearing. Not seconds pass before a loud growl is heard and then a whimper. "Therion! - Yelled Nadia. - Therion come back!" Her companion didn't obey, suddenly an arrow flies from her blind spot and hits her shoulder, digging several inches into her and instantly making her right arm go numb, the arrow she had ready is fired against the floor and brakes in two. "This... Ardid!" She scream the name as if cursing in every tongue known in Azeroth, but before the echo fades from the dome. Lirana jumps into the air behind Tadis, the elf only has enough time to turn her face to her before she feels the daggers piercing her skin below the ribs, but before the gnome can finish the attack, she's slammed into the wall by Espigo's shield. She doesn't even touch the ground before she disappears again. "Oh, common Lirana, you are gonna hide from me now? - He chuckles. - I always knew you were too much of a coward to fight head on!" As soon as he finishes, a dagger comes flying from the mist and impacts on his shield, the tip penetrated some of the metal but stopped before it could reach his arm. "You'll have to try a bit harder than - he grabs the dagger and tries to pull it out - that..." The hand he was using to take out of the dagger starts turning black and soon his entire arm is limp. "You... bastard... poisoned... the hilt." He kneels, his shield falling to the ground. Immediately two arrows fly towards him but are stopped by an invisible wall protecting him. "Stop this Ardid! - Arielle joins them while yelling. - Lirana! What's gotten into you!" The dome remains in silence for some seconds, meanwhile Koros is trying to help Tazudin out of the water, he calls out to him and finally finds his brother's hand, when he's trying to pull him up, he's kicked from behind, a powerful blow that literally puts him in the air, while his brother watches him fly over him, a shadow appears behind him in mid air and loud screams of pain fill the dome, seconds after, his brother's dead body falls into the water. Before the group with the elves has a chance to realize what's going on over there, an arrow with a lit fuse strikes the wall behind them. The only one that recognizes the immediate danger is Nadia, but she doesn't have time to speak as the arrow explodes almost right away, throwing everyone across the room in different directions. Espigo is the first one to get up, half his body still paralyzed. His weapons were thrown away in the explosion, he desperately tries to make it to higher ground but an arrow enters his neck from behind and pierces through it entirely. Gushes of blood spray on to the mist as he falls to his knees and dies even before his armor hits the ground. Tazudin finally gets out of the water and spots lady Arielle on the ground, he runs to her and tries shaking her, it's not long until he notices she's bleeding heavily from a wound on her side, but when he tries to turn her he springs a spike trap that impales through both of their bodies. He groans in pain and falls next to her. There's a moment of silence before someone speaks. "Where are the elves?" Lirana's voice can be heard from somewhere in the mist. "They did not leave, stay quiet!" Answers Ardid. The gnome jumps off the mist on to the spring in the middle of the lake and quickly sticks her dagger on it. The rock formation cracks open and crumbles in a huge cloud of steam. Something shines in the middle. She takes the object and jumps back to a ledge. "I have-" As soon as she lands a claw slashes her back, staining the walls with Lirana's blood. She groans in pain as the strike pushes her foward, Tadis had been waiting for her while hiding in the shadows. Her victory is short lived as the agile rogue rolls over to the mist and disappears. However, the object she was carrying is left behind. "That's... a dragon's egg!" Immediately a set of arrows are fired at her, but she dodges them and hides again. "Are you mad Ardid! - Screamed Nadia from her hiding place. - Do you know what will happen if whichever dragon spawned that comes back and finds out the egg is missing? - There's no answer. - Answer me Ardid!" She demands fiercely and after a few seconds he finally responds. "You never knew how to keep calm Nadia." A huge explosion happens on top of the dome, throwing boulders and rubble all across the room. "You fool! - Screamed Lirana - The cave will come down on us! - She jumps on the ledge where the egg is and grabs it, disappearing in the mist again and shortly appearing on one of the passages where the waterfalls come from. Ardid joins her, jumping from the shadows, and they both run away as the dome begins to collapse.

The passage which those two used to escape falls down almost immediately as tons of rubble block several others. After some seconds the collapse stops and only pebbles and the occasional stone fall to the lake. A current of air comes from the now totally broken ceiling and starts clearing the mist. Nadia is unconscious next to the lake's waters, which have gotten muddy from all the dirt that fell on them. Something approaches to her slowly and as the mist clears up completely Therion appears, his fur drenched in blood. It moves towards her and nuzzles to try to wake her up. After a couple tries she finally opens her eyes. When she sees her good companion still alive, tears come to her eyes, she slowly brings her hand to it's wound as the cat whimpers. "I'm sorry Therion..." She tries to get up but fails at first, her feet trapped under rocks. One by one, she takes them away and finally manages to stand up again. She's not a second on her feet when she notices Tadis trapped under a huge boulder across the room. She hurries to her side. "Tadis! - She lifts her head. - Tadis talk to me!" Her friend groans and exhales, her chest has been crushed Nadia knows it won't be long before she can't breath anymore. "Nadia... recover the egg... bring... back..." Her friend drops tears on her face. "Tadis..." She puts her head on her lap as her companion looks at her from below, the sky on her back. "Your eyes... the stars... so alike..." Her hand tries to reach her friends cheek but she loses all strength midway and finally dies without saying any more. Nadia grabs her hand before it could reach the floor and puts it on her cheek herself. "Tadis..." Therion whimpers next to her as he nuzzles her master again. Nadia finally lets go of her friend and tries healing her animal companion. Concentrating as hard as she can, she manages to at least close it's wound, but the damage is far from gone. After bandaging her arm she gets up and gets her bow and quiver. When she's ready to start looking for an exit, she can hear a faint voice coming from the lake. Rushing there, she sees Tazudin, still breathing but heavily wounded. "Nadia... listen... they took... the wrong passage. The one... we used... is over there - he points at a tunnel which is still open. - Please... do... what you... must." His breathing stops and he's finally granted rest. She takes him out of the water and gets up. With great effort, she puts Therion on her back and climbs the wall towards the passage. Once there, they start running towards the exit.

It only takes them little more than an hour to finally reach the exit, and when they finally leave the caves, it's still night. They stop a second to catch their breath, Therion is clearly exhausted, his wounds haven't fully healed and blood is coming out from them again. Nadia kneels besides him and examines the cuts. "That gnome... - She moves the fur around the wound and sees it's infected. - That damned gnome!" The poison in Lirana's daggers are beyond Nadia's knowledge and she can do little to help her friend. "Therion... I want you to stay here... you must rest. You understand?" The cat whimpers and lays down, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry my friend... I'll be back to help you, I promise!" She gets up and scouts the horizon. "They could be anywhere... there's no way to tell where that tunnel led! - Suddenly a shadow passes above her as a drip of blood stains her cheek. - What was-" A loud shriek is heard from above the cavern's entrance. It's Tornbeak, having been waiting for it's master, it just returned with it's dinner for the night. "Tornbeak! Come! Come!" She beckoned it over. Knowing she was one of his master's companions, the bird only hesitated a bit before going down to her. "Tornbeak, Ardid is lost, I need to find him. Can you help me?" The bird stares at her and tilts it's head from side to side. Then it flies away, shrieking again. Nadia follows it on foot as far as it can, fortunately the bird is not entirely sure where to go at first, so it spends some time flying in circles and letting her catch her breath. But finally, after several minutes it starts heading directly east.

On a mountain only a few miles away, Ardid and Lirana have just exited the cave network and have stopped to rest for a bit. She's still bleeding from the wound on her back and is treating it with bandages. Ardid, having not suffered any wounds whatsoever, is standing on a cliff overlooking the lake. "We must get moving soon - says the gnome. - If we miss our contact we are as good as dead." He speaks while not looking at her. "I'm not the one sitting, am I?" She glares at him. "Don't talk down on me Ardid, at least I didn't blow up that damn cave!" He turns at her. "Wha-" Tornbeak comes down next to him and sits on the branch of a nearby tree, shrieking fiercely. "Tornbeak? Why are you here? - The bird shrieks again and tilts it head looking at his master. - She's alive! We must leave at once Lir-" He turns back to warn her companion but she sees the gnome has been impacted with several arrows, one which went through the back of her head into her mouth. Before he has time to react another volley is thrown at him, but Tornbeak flaps his wings strongly and makes all of them miss. "Get her Tornbeak! - Yelled Ardid as he grabbed the Egg and started running north. The bird obeyed and immediately flew into the sky, looking for it's opponent as his master quickly got away. Nadia was forced out of her hiding place in order to see where he was running to, even though she tried to be quick, Tornbeak took the opportunity and dived, attacking with it's claws. Using her bow to fight it off, she finally managed to knock it away. Dazed by the hit, the bird rolled on the floor and before it could lift off again, Nadia shot an arrow on one of it's wings, piercing it and sticking Tornbeak to the floor. The bird shrieked in pain and tried his best to get away. "I'm sorry..." Said the huntress, as she thew another arrow at it, which went through it's right eye, instantly killing it. Ardid's companion collapsed, lifting a huge dirt cloud, but before it cleared off, Nadia had already left to chase after him.

Running along the eastern shore of the lake, Nadia finally spotted Ardid, who, noticing he was being followed, picked up the pace as much as he could. Even with her wounds, she forced herself to keep up, and finally caught up to him near the dam. Their steps echoed along the rocky roads above Stonewrought as the first signs of dawn were starting to show over the mountains. "Very well! - Screamed Ardid. - Our little chasing game ends here Nadia!" He stopped and took out his bow, leaving the Egg aside behind one of dam's cannons. "Finally decided to face me coward?" She yelled back, as she took her own bow to her hands and readied an arrow. "Believe me, I'd avoid it if I could, but I'm afraid it's too late now." He looked at her directly in the eyes. "It was too late already when you turned on us! And for what? Who are you going to sell that for! Scum! How could you! Killed so many people! And you will kill more if I let you get away with it! That Egg must be returned Ardid! I cannot let you escape!" She lets her arrow loose, but he dodges it and fires back, impacting on her right leg and forcing her down to her knees. "Why Ardid? - she lets a tear drop from her eyes, not because of pain, but of sadness, as she tries to get back on her feet. - Why? You killed Tadis and even your own companions! Does gold mean that much to you?" He approaches a bit, holding another arrow ready. "You know me to be selfish Nadia." She breaks the arrow on her leg and throws away the shaft as she gets up. Immediately he throws another one that scrapes her left ear, tearing a chunk of it away, blood starts pouring from the wound immediately, coloring that side of her face entirely red. "You know me to be myself." He gets even closer while preparing another arrow. "I know you to be a coward, who would rather hide behind his pretty words than face the truth." He smiles gently at her. "See? You do know me Nadia." He lowers his bow. "You've always seen through me." He stops a moment to look at her eyes again, suddenly she charges forward and before he has time to rise his bow, she tackles him to the ground and rolls, hiding herself behind a cannon. Ardid gets up in a jump and prepares another arrow, but he notices a faint ticking sound coming from one if his bags. Looking at the cannon she was hiding at he says. "Wrong eye..." As he finishes that, his bag blows up, tossing him several feet away and creating a chain reaction across the path. Nadia runs for the Egg and covers it with her body, as the ammunition around her goes off, several shrapnels hitting her back. After some seconds, the explosions stop, and she looks up only to see most of the dam has caught on fire. Not far from her, Ardid leans against the stone rail. He manages to sit up straight, his side pierced by a piece of scrap metal. Nadia crawls to him, bleeding heavily herself while still holding the egg. She takes out her skinning knife and brings it to his neck. "Was the reward worth all this? - She looks around as the flames close in on them. - Was it?" He lifts his chin and looks at her eyes again. Nadia looks back and without knowing why she lets a tear drop from the eye she has covered in blood to Ardid's cheek. "Now it was..." She starts crying while looking at him, heavy tears washing the blood away from his face, she finally lets go of the knife as she closes her eyes and sobs. "You always saw everything which was wrong, bad... dark... about me, when I looked into this eye. - He slowly grabs the knife she dropped and presses it gently below her eye. - Let me give you a present before we part... - He slowly cuts a faint line across. - So... the next one... will ... know... which." Nadia took the pain and after he finished, she opened her eyes to see him already dead. Feeling the flames close, she embraced the egg and rolled over the rail.

She missed the dam's wall by little and splashed in the water. Being drifted away by the strong current, she managed to grab a hold of a thick root from a tree on the shore, and little by little, pulled herself out of the water. She crawled on the sand and leaned against the tree's trunk, which was a bit submerged in a little pond. Quickly, the blood pouring from her wounds stained the water and gave it a scarlet color. Panting from exhaustion, she looked down at the egg she was embracing and noticed it was cracked. "I'm sorry... Tadis." Feeling her strength leave her, she closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt something rough on her cheek, brushing against it repeatedly. She opened her eyes again and saw Therion, licking and nuzzling her. "How... am I... it can't-" She stops as she hears a loud flapping of wings from behind her. Soon after, the sound quiets down, but a new one replaces it, the sound of someone walking on water. A calm, melodic voice, talks. "A token of my appreciation." She turns her head to see a tall Elf, with blond hair, almost golden, both his eyes shine like the sun and he's wearing a nobleman's clothing. "He was worried about his master." Nadia lifts his hand and puts it on Therion's head, it welcomes her touch and purrs happily. "Are you..." The elf giggles harmoniously. "I'm sorry if you were expecting your goddess, Moon Elf." Nadia looks at him and removes her hands from the egg, letting the crack be seen. "I am sorry... I couldn't protect it." He leans down and takes the egg from Nadia, the cracks on it have been filled with her blood. "I've been watching ever since you arrived at my lair. Worry not about this - He breathes on the egg, instantly drying the blood on it and making the crack disappear. - My son will be fine, thanks to you. It was my own recklessness and boredom that allowed this to happen. - He helps her on her feet, her wounds instantly healing as he touches her hand. - Mortals have always interested me, but I'm afraid I went a bit too far this time. - He bows to her as gracefully as he looks. - You have my most sincere thanks, appreciation and apologies. In time, this child will hatch, and he'll know what you went through for him. Perhaps, you'll see each other again. Farewell mortal. - He looks at her with a gentle smile. - I hope destiny doesn't have any more scars like that in your future." He walks away and disappears in the river.

Nadia and Therion didn't go back to Thelsamar or the Lodge, they traveled far, as if running away. Nothing has been heard from them in a long time. With the re opening of the Dark Portal, other matters have come to attention, and even though what happened in the Stonesplinter Caves is still not clear, nobody in Loch Modan will forget they day they saw a Golden Dragon soar across their lands.

A short story by,

Jorge Ariel Barreto

Loosely based on my friend's character "Darknadia", Sen'jin Realm, the laziest of hunters, and his loyal pet "Therion", probably the worst looked after pet in history.


End file.
